Overview of Landlord-Tenant Laws in Ohio

Find out key laws every Ohio landlord and tenant needs to know.

Both landlords and tenants should be able to deal with many legal questions and problems without a lawyer, once they understand the basics of state law. This overview of key landlord-tenant laws in Ohio will get you started.

Required Landlord Disclosures in Ohio

Under Ohio law, landlords must disclose specific information to tenants (usually in the lease or rental agreement), such as the identity of anyone authorized to act on the landlord’s behalf. For details, see Ohio Required Landlord Disclosures.

Ohio Security Deposit Limit and Return

Ohio state law does not limit how much a landlord can charge for a security deposit. However, it does limit when it must be returned (within 30 days after a tenant moves) and sets other restrictions on deposits. See Ohio Security Deposit Limits and Deadlines for more on the subject.

fair housing rights (discrimination is also prohibited by federal and, often, local law—see the Housing Discrimination section of the Nolo site for details).

Where to Find Ohio Landlord-Tenant Statutes

If you want to read the text of a law itself, such as state security deposit rules, you’ll find citations in many of the articles and charts included in the State Landlord-Tenant Laws section of the Nolo site. To access the statutes, go to the Ohio Laws and Legal Information section of the Nolo site and find the link to your state laws.

If you just want to browse through the Ohio landlord-tenant law, you can find state statutes at Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § § 5321.01 to 5321.19. You can search the table of contents for the landlord-tenant statutes. Or, if you don’t know the exact statute number, you can enter a keyword that is likely to be in it, such as “nonpayment of rent.”

In addition to accessing state laws via Nolo’s website, Ohio statutes are available in many public libraries and in most law libraries that are open to the public (typically found in a county courthouse or at the state capitol or in a publicly-funded law school).

Local Ordinances Affecting Ohio Landlords and Tenants

Cities and counties often pass local ordinances, such as health and safety standards, noise and nuisance regulations, and antidiscrimination rules that affect landlords and tenants. Many municipalities have websites —just search for the name of a particular city in Ohio and then do a search when you’re on the site.

State and Local Government on the Net and Municode are good sources for finding local governments online. Also, your local public library or office of the city attorney, mayor, or city or county manager can provide information on local ordinances that affect landlords and tenants in Ohio.

The U.S. Code is the starting place for most federal statutory research. It consists of 50 separate numbered titles, each covering a specific subject matter. Most federal regulations are published in the Code of Federal Regulations (“CFR”), also organized by subject into 50 separate titles.

Nolo Resources on Legal Research and Landlord-Tenant Law

Nolo’s Laws and Legal Research page includes links to state and federal laws, explains how to research and understand statutes, and provides advice on finding local ordinances and court cases, including Supreme Court cases. To go further, check out Legal Research: How to Find & Understand the Law, by Stephen Elias and the Editors of Nolo (Nolo). This nontechnical book gives easy-to-use, step-by-step instructions on how to find legal information.